Bardugo was born in Jerusalem and grew up in Los Angeles,[2] where she was raised by her grandparents.[3] She attended Yale University, graduating with a degree in English in Spring 1997.[2][4] Before publishing her first novel, she worked in copywriting, journalism, as well as makeup and special effects.[5][6]

The following books in the trilogy, Siege and Storm and Ruin and Rising, were published by Macmillan in 2013 and 2014 respectively. The Grisha trilogy has been sold in over 22 territories.[13]

Set in the same universe as the Grisha trilogy, often referred to as the "Grishaverse," the Six of Crows duology (Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom) was published by Macmillan in 2015 and 2016. Six of Crows was named a New York Times Notable Book and an ALA-YALSA Top Ten Pick of 2016.[14]The Language of Thorns, a collection of original Grisha fairy tales and folk tales, was published by Macmillan in 2017.

In 2016, it was announced that Leigh Bardugo was writing the first book in the four-book DC Icons series, adaptations of DC Comics' biggest superheroes.[14]Wonder Woman: Warbringer was published by Penguin Random House in 2017.

Bardugo also has essays and short stories in multiple anthology collections, including Last Night, A Superhero Saved My Life, Slasher Girls and Monster Boys, and Summer Days and Summer Nights. Her books have been translated into 22 languages and published in over 50 countries.[6]